


Look After Ocean Eyes

by emoprincessmimi



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Falling In Love, Hurt Sam Golbach, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Inspired by Fanfiction, M/M, Protective Colby Brock, Rape/Non-con Elements, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:02:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26154655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emoprincessmimi/pseuds/emoprincessmimi
Summary: In the heart of New York City, Colby Brock has waited 23 years for his soulmate. When the time finally comes he's met with with a boy who has all the love to give but none given to him. Colby and Sam must face Sam's abusers, and overcome all odds. All the while each one learns to love each other.Or the story where Colby learns that he does have the power to control fate, and can love with all of his being. While Sam learns that he's a resilient survivor, and can overcome anything.
Relationships: Colby Brock/Sam Golbach, Tarayummy/Jake Webber (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 17





	1. Word From The Author

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Claw Marks and Tail Feathers](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13399587) by [NimmCayn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NimmCayn/pseuds/NimmCayn). 



Hey guys, It's Mimi here. I want you to know that this work was heavily inspired by Claw Marks and Tail Feathers. I do not take credit for the idea. This was all the author NimmCayn idea and I wanted to tell my story based off of it. Their story is incomplete but I encourage you to check it out because as much as I enjoy your comments, kudos, and hits. I can only assume they would appreciate it too! 

Also I've been extremely frustrated that I can't update or connect with you guys online. So I'm leaving my Discord, Twitter (I don't use but I can if it makes things easier), and email. This is to just have more access to communication, for all my works. While I won't cater my story to an individual person. I want to hear your critiques, comments. Plus if you think I'm taking forever to post let me know! I suffer from writers block and my own insecurities to publish chapters. So this is also a way for me to get inspired to write. So please contact me! I check Discord and my Email daily! <3 

To the author (if you find this work). I want you to know that your work was incredible and I think your writing is amazing. I really thought I was there while reading the story. I loved your imagery. You have an amazing talent for writing. I hope to see more of your work and maybe you finishing the story. Please if you need anything, reach out to me! My door is always open for you! 

Discord: Emoprincess#9483

Email: melinarosec@gmail.com

Twitter: @EmoprincessMimi


	2. Chapter 2

February 14th, a day that most people in the U.S know as Valentines Day. It was a time for love, cherishment, and a time to fuck the shit out of someone. If you weren’t in a relationship it was perfect time to pretend that the random person you picked up in the bar actually cared for you. On top of that, it was a time to thank the gods that everyone was destined to be with a soulmate. 

Colby hated this time of the year because all the Ads that ran on T.V were riddled with ways to find The One or ways to express that you love your soulmate. He hated love because it reminded him that he had no one. Plus the stark reminder on his wrist that his countdown hadn’t begun also soured his mood, but that was more of a 365 days a year sort of downer. Everyone had a small timer with 5 minutes on the clock. When a person was going to meet their soulmate it would start to countdown until time was up. Right after the timer would finish it would turn into a small colored heart. 

It was where the expression you wear your heart on your sleeve came from. Everyone wore their lover's heart on their sleeve. It was beautiful, but it was also annoying. Colby would watch kids no older than 5 years old with hearts on their sleeve like it was nothing. They found their soulmates and never have to think about walking through life alone. But not Colby. He was 23 years old and had the timer still on his wrist. 

Some of his friends speculated that maybe his soulmate died and that’s why he couldn’t find them. The more optimistic few believed he just had to go overseas and that’s where his soulmate would be. These were all ideas pulled from the various romance movies over the years. Colby would be lying if he hadn’t binged watched a bunch on Netflix in hopes that it would trigger a eureka and a way to find them. None of it worked. Even the attempts to speed up the process through hookup apps. 

To the world Colby was a geezer, and he loathed everyone who looked at his wrist in pity. Colby had thought about tattooing it over. If he blacked it out he wouldn’t live his life by a timer, but that meant he would never find love. Which he spent way too many nights alone to let that happen. Instead he cursed the month of February and all who loved their soulmates. Fuck, every single one of them. 

Colby was curled up on the couch of his New York apartment scowling at his phone as he scrolled through his social media feeds. Jake, one of his best friends texted Colby. 

**_Come out with Tara and I. It’ll be fun. We can go to the bowling alley._ **

The idea of being a third wheel to those two wasn’t thrilling. He would put his head in the game and bowl like his life depended on it. All the while the two would attempt to not be conjoined at the hip. Colby would’ve hated himself more than the legitimate anger he had at the world. Rather to put his best friend through misery, he told him he was going to the bar with some other friends. 

Since no one wanted a single friend on the third wheel. Jake didn’t push any further, and Colby was still alone. Colby yanked open his window letting the blistering cold air to come through. He wondered if his soulmate would love the cold as much as he did. It’s the main reason why he moved to New York and not L.A. As a rising social media star both cities had its ups and downs. While it was harder to collaborate with anyone because they were all out west. New York had more of a night life and gave him the opportunity to enjoy his twenties without the vegan smoothies and hiking trails. 

As he peered out the window he could see across into the other apartment. Even the mundane task of opening his windows meant he could see love. If he was going to be forced to endure a few more hours of it, Colby wanted to be blacked out drunk. As he threw on a coat and his combat boots he continuously scrolled to find a new spot to drink at. 

His job relied on him showing up and promoting different places throughout the city. Which meant that nearly every money-hungry manager was eager to get a D-list celebrity into their establishment. Colby couldn’t even count the number of restaurants and bars that would give him a discount if he just shot a picture of him in front of the establishment. Colby settled on a new rooftop bar that was promoting a winter paradise. 

It was on the other side of town but spiked hot chocolate next to a fake roaring fire called his name. Colby managed to catch the train before it left the platform. His music was psyching him up as he leaned against the door of the train cart. The couples were pressed closed together checking to see when they had to get off the train. Colby could see the excitement roll off everyone in waves. One man stepped inside the train holding a bouquet of flowers. 

Colby had to force himself to stare at his phone once the guy caught him looking. Why the flowers? They were pretty with bright purples, reds, and pinks, but it was pointless. They would wilt and die within a week. That person's significant other would toss it out and it would have been another pointless gift. If he had found his true love, Colby would have at least gotten them one of those forever roses. They were pretty, smelt good, and didn’t die. 

The train lurched to a halt, signalling Colby that he made it to his stop. He followed the crowd out and back onto the freezing cold streets. From there he was following Google to lead him to the place. Except every city block Colby passed it kept redirecting him. No matter how hard he pressed the button to show that he was walking, not driving, it wouldn’t register. 

He ended up off the main drag. No one was walking those streets unless they knew where they were going. He stopped trying to follow the directions and actually looked around the blocks. There was nothing but housing and boarded up stores. These were the factories and warehouses that couldn’t make rent. Whether they couldn’t sub-let the building or turn it into something worth profit. The buildings were bricked up holes. A reminder to every business owner who believed they could make it that this was their potential future. A building that was their ball and chain. 

Colby turned around ready to retrace his steps when he heard a tiny wail. Another choked sob followed, and soon Colby could make out the sounds of a man crying. Another sad sap who was alone on this wonderful Valentine’s Day night. Colby took one step and his entire arm was on fire. It felt like he was having a heart attack except the burning sensation traveled to his wrist and lingered there. 

Quickly, he yanked his coat sleeve up exposing the timer that was a minute and counting. The timer had finally gone off, and he wasn’t ready. All the years that he had spent waiting for his soulmate to arrive, and Colby wasn’t ready. He looked up and down the street searching for a person to sweep him off his feet. Except no one came, and the clock continued to count down. The only thing that Colby could hear was the cries. It was his soulmate. His soulmate was possibly a man and they were crying somewhere in the industrial playground. 

Colby followed the cries, and tried to think of what to say. He couldn’t begin with a hey or some sappy line straight out of The Notebook. His soulmate was wailing about something and it couldn’t begin happiness. It was hard to see without the streetlamps shining above. Colby was relying solely on sound. He slipped inside the playground. 

“Hey are you okay?” Colby called out. He could make out the silhouette of the person tucked underneath the equipment. It was a spot beneath the taller tower that attached itself to the metal slide. While it was open there were tiny window-esque sections for the children to pretend. The person’s cries stopped though their tiny gasps for air didn’t go unnoticed. His soulmate was crying to the point of breathlessness. 

“Please don’t hurt me,” They said.

“I’m not going to hurt you. Can you come out?” Colby asked. 

“No. Go away!” The person tried to muster up some courage but it sounded pathetic next to the whimpers. 

“Can I go there? I’m not going to hurt you, I swear. You’re hurting, and I can help.” Colby checked his arm one last time and the timer was up. Unless his soulmate was magically around the corner. This was it. This was his soulmate, and he had no idea how to comfort them. Colby didn’t even know what they looked like. 

“You can’t help me,” They whimpered. 

“I can. I promise you, I can help. Just come on out, please?” Colby inched closer to the guy, but was weary to make any sudden movements. He didn’t want to scare them away. That would be Colby’s luck to frighten his soulmate away, and would be stuck wandering the world trying to find them. 

Colby barely could believe it was possibly a man. Humans were innately pansexual when it came to their soulmates. It didn’t matter their biological sex, gender identity, or anything inbetween because what mattered was how their souls interacted. It was like yin and yang when soulmates found each other. It just clicked, and any precognitions were out the window. It was only when a person dated or hooked up with people who weren’t their soulmates that the idea of preference came into play. Colby believed that his soulmate would be a girl because it’s who he always gravitated to. Whether it was celebrity crushes or porn he would jerk off to it and always had to have a person who identified as female to do it for him. 

There were many people who were transgender, and in truth that never bothered him. He was a man who preferred female attributes. Whether that was a male to female trangender person or a cisfemale. They were all his type, and so he always believed that they would be female. Maybe he was jumping to conclusions, but in the end it didn’t matter. He knew that this person was it for him regardless of how they identified or looked. As long as that person beneath the playground was his, he would love them nonetheless. 

“I’m Colby,” He said biting down on his bottom lip, “I… This is… This is a bad timing but I know I can help. I don’t know if you felt it too, but I’m your soulmate, okay? So if there is anyone in this damn city that can help you, it’s me.” 

The person’s whimpers were caught in their throat. At first there was some shifting and Colby could see the person try to check their wrist. “I can’t see it.” 

“That’s okay,”  _ Shit _ . That’s all Colby needed now was for their soulmate not to be his soulmate. That was one of those tragic romance movies he had seen once. Where the female’s soulmate belonged to another. It ended with a promising friendship and future with their lives overcome from all the drama that ensued. He didn’t want that to be the case, “I have my phone. If you come out I can shine a light.” Colby quickly turned his flashlight on for good measure but aimed it at the ground. Colby would have hated a light shining on him, and he bet that his soulmate felt the same way. 

“Okay.” The person said. Slowly the person shifted, gripping the edge of the metal poles of the playset. Colby was able to make out the hobble and lame leg. Only when the person got close enough that he saw they were in worse condition than he thought. 

His soulmate was battered, and bruised. They had a ratty Flash T-shirt and jeans, but with no coat. Colby couldn’t make out everything under the moonlight but he could see the darkened skin where the bruises were. The person's wrist was brittle and frail. It looked like the person hadn’t eaten for months. Their hair was matted with mud caked in against the scalp, but bits and pieces of blonde stuck out. They nearly broke Colby’s heart, but he sucked in a deep breath and pretended not to notice. 

Colby held his hand out for the person to lay their wrist on his hand. They did so and it was like fireworks, or the tingles that traveled to the back of his head all the way to his heart. It made him want to burst out in tears. It felt like he was whole from one simple touch, and once he shined the light over the person’s wrist he knew. This was definitely his soulmate. The person quietly gasped staring at the heart that took the timer’s place. It was a small red heart, simple but effective. 

“What’s your name?” Colby asked. 

“Sam,” They said, “I’m Sam.” 

“It’s nice to meet you, Sam.” Colby was careful with his words. He didn’t want to scare Sam off. They looked skittish and were ready to hightail it out of there. Though Colby surmised that Sam wouldn’t have gotten far with his leg. They barely put any weight on it. “You don’t look good. Let me get you help. We can go to a hospital.” Colby said. 

Sam’s eyes went wide, yanking their hand out of Colby’s light grasp. “I can’t! I can’t leave!” 

“Why can’t you leave?” Colby’s eyes went as wide as Sam’s. His soulmate was starting to scare him. Sam was nearly hyperventilating as they looked around the playground. “Did the person who did this going to come back?” He probed. 

“I don’t know! I don’t know, but don’t leave me please. I can’t leave.” Sam was frantic nearly shaking. It reminded Colby that they were in the middle of winter and Sam didn’t have a coat on. He shucked his coat off, carefully putting it around Sam. At first they flinched but the instant warmth had them burrowing into the coat without question. 

“I’m not going to leave you, but we can’t stay here. Sam, you need to go to a hospital. Your leg is fucked up. I don’t want us here when whoever comes back. Please, I’m begging you let’s just go.” He insisted. 

Sam shook their head taking a step back, but without having the use of their other leg. They nearly fell to the floor. Colby caught their arm before they could actually drop to the ground. “Sam, please. Do you really want to be here when they come back?” Colby pressed on. Sam shook their head as they looked once more down the empty streets. “Then let’s go.” 


	3. Chapter 3

The battle that had raged inside Sam subsided and they allowed Colby to help them. The two of them walked towards the nearest bodega. One look at Sam and they wouldn’t open their doors for them. Colby flipped the person off as he sat Sam on the stoop instead. He dialled 911 and waited next to Sam as the paramedics pulled up. 

Sam was bewildered as the sights and sound. It took Colby’s soft pleading to even get Sam to let the EMT workers get them onto the stretcher. Colby was with them all the way to the hospital. Colby was able to be put in the room with Sam but once the nurses came in. Colby was asked to leave. Their suspicious looks had Colby cursing them out in his head. They all thought he was the reason Sam looked like that. As if he was the one who could brutally hurt his own soulmate. It was disgusting. 

Local cops from the precinct were in the lobby waiting for Colby. They ushered him into a doctor’s office where they were able to sit down and talk. Colby explained everything that he could about Sam and how the two met. By the time the cops were done questioning him a doctor was looking for Colby. He was being pulled every which way and it was doing his head in. Colby had never had a run in with the cops and he barely spent any time in the hospital. 

The last time Colby was in the hospital was 5 years ago on the days leading up to his nana’s death. While everyone brought flowers and tons of Jell-O in hopes to lighten spirits. It didn’t work. The hospital reeked of death, and the musk never left the halls of the hospital. Colby believed it was the truth stench of death and it wouldn’t leave any hospital. It wasn’t the odor of decaying bodies but the bodies on their way out. 

The cops had left the room, and it was just Colby and the doctor. She sat across from him holding a clipboard with what he assumed was Sam’s information. “Mr.Brock, do you have any idea the extent of Samuel’s injuries?” She asked. When Colby shook his head she just proceeded on, “As I don’t have a family member for him. You, as his soulmate, are next in line. What I’m about to tell you is something that isn’t for the faint of heart. A lot of this is what we gathered as we assessed Sam and tried to get him the help he needed. Some of which, I’m not sure if Sam even is aware of.” 

“Spit it out,” Colby gripped the arms of the chair until his knuckles were white. The doctor was amping him up and he wasn’t sure if he could take it. Colby had to take careful deep breaths and reminded himself that Sam was safe. Colby was here, and he was in the hospital where no one could touch him. The doctor kept opening and shutting her mouth. She kept pointing and rereading everything on the file with such sadden eyes. 

“Sam’s ankle is broken, but thankfully his achilles’s heel hasn’t been torn. There are dozens of bruises and contusions. Some of which has bruised internally, but no internal bleeding. On his left hand 2 of his fingers are broken. His nose was broken but we realigned it. Mr.Brock Sam is emancipated, and lacks nutrition. We discovered that he had a few ribs broken, and that’s just from observing him. One of his back molars were ripped out of his mouth. Then… there’s the scar tissue. He has extensive scar tissue maybe as old as ten years ago. There’s more, but-” The doctor couldn’t seem to finish her statement. 

Colby wasn’t sure if he was able to listen to the rest of it. His soulmate was abused, and was a personal punching bag to whomever decided to hurt him. The warm saliva was coating Colby’s mouth and he had to consistently try to swallow it down. He needed to get his shit together because someone needed to for Sam. “K-keep going.” Colby's voice was scratchy from his own strain. He was tensing his throat and holding in his breaths for too long. The doctor dejectedly looked up from the clipboard at Colby. Those pitiful eyes Colby was familiar with had a whole new meaning. 

He couldn’t look at her or that damn clipboard. Instead he focused on the tissue box and the hand sanitizer next to it. He was reading the brand names over and over. It was just to make sure he didn’t throw his lunch up or have a mental breakdown at the news. “Mr.Brock, Sam has suffered from years of sexual abuse. There is a ton of anal scarring and chaffing around his genital. It looks like there was fairly recent abuse. I’m so sorry Mr.Brock.” 

Colby’s lunch came up and he rushed to the wastebasket spewing his guts into it. At least ten years of abuse on his body and Colby couldn’t even imagine how much sexually. Sam was a punching bag, or a toy for those sick fucks. Colby was banging his foot on the floor as he continued to be hovered over the basket. The most morbid thing was that the doctor was apologizing to Colby. As if he knew Sam for more than an hour, but in actuality she was apologizing because his soulmate was broken. Colby didn’t want an apology, he wanted justice. If anything people should be apologizing to Sam, not him. 

Slowly, Colby pulled himself up from the floor. The doctor was near him ready to help him wherever she could be of assistance. She handed him a water bottle and watched as he drank it dry. Those pitiful eyes watched Colby try to get his shit together. He backed himself up against the wall, panting as her words kept rolling through his head. If he couldn’t stand to hear what happened. How could Sam have endured any of it. Colby was sickened. “Can I see him?” 

“Yeah of course. We told him we were going to come get you. He asked about you.” The doctor stood up helping Colby to his feet. His knees quaked like a newborn fawn. Finally, he found the strength to walk again. Colby had until he reached Sam’s door to find the rest of his strength and put all his out-of-control emotions into his shit bag. Then he was going to toss that bag so far away that it never touched him because he needed to. It was all a part of being an adult and being the anchor his soulmate needed. 

Colby began making his way back towards Sam’s room. A few hours ago Colby wouldn’t have minded that he was puking into a wastebasket. Just because a few hours ago he believed he would have been a single black out drunk hating Valentine’s Day. Colby pushed the ajar door open to see Sam curled up. His knees were pressed to his chest, but there were various casts on him. There was an oversized boot on his ankle, a splint on his fingers, and a chest cast made out of plastic. It looked like a superhero torso, entirely black with exposed padding. 

Under the fluorescent lights Sam looked a hell of a lot worse than under the moonlight. His cheeks were bright red with tear stains. His arms were blotchy with yellow and purple bruising. The only thing that remotely looked better was his hair. The nurse must have washed out the dirt because he was a blonde. Colby swore the boy was a brunette with how dark it looked. Everyone tried to do tiny things to help Sam. There was even chocolate milk and a familiar Jell-O packet on the rolling table. 

Sam’s head perked up, and only could be described as relief washed over him. Colby wanted to believe that Sam was relieved to see him, because the few hours spent away were agonizing. Colby lingered in the doorway not wanting to rush in. He didn’t throw the bag out the window just yet. He was still rushing to compile it all in, and it started with taking Sam in. He needed to see the damage and to rationalize it. 

“Do you like Jell-O?” Colby asked, nodding his head to the unopened cup. Sam’s eyes were doe-like unsure what to make of everything. He looked at the cup and back at Colby with a shrug of his shoulders. 

“I never had Jell-O,” He said. “Is it good?” 

Colby weakly laughed as he walked further in. “Yeah it’s a little treat they serve in hospitals. You should try it.” Sam nodded trying to reach for the table but it was out of reach. Colby was quick to bring it over to Sam. 

Sam peeled the foil back and his face scrunched up. The red gelatin wobbled back and forth. It smelt like pungent cherry and Sam gave Colby the most unimpressed look. It was the typical reaction anyone had to the damn dessert. It wasn’t anyone’s go to dessert option. “I’m not eating it.” Sam insisted pushing the cup back away from him. 

“You haven’t tried it though! You don’t know you might like it.” Colby said. 

“Then you try it.” 

“Fine I will,” Colby grabbed the plastic spoon. In truth, Colby hated the damn dessert. He’d rather eat anything else other than Jell-O. Every flavor reminded him of a terrible liquid medicine he was force fed as a kid, especially cherry. Between bubble gum and cherry, Colby was unable to eat anything that tasted like those two flavors. Thankfully, there was barely anything that had those flavors. Colby scooped up a tiny piece. He didn’t have to even put the spoon in his mouth. All he had to do was slurp the air and the thing flew into his mouth. 

Sam was intensively watching Colby for a reaction, but Colby’s face said it all. He scrunched up his nose and put on the worst fake smile ever. “You don’t have to eat it.” Colby concluded. Sam let out a sigh of relief slowly stretching his legs outward. “How are you feeling?” 

“I’m okay… How are you feeling?” Sam asked back. 

“I’m okay,” Colby weakly smiled as he sat in the chair near Sam’s bed. Colby didn’t know what to talk about. He didn’t want to bring up any bad memories and he didn’t want to scare Sam any further. He was left with small talk and Colby hated small talk. No one cared about the weather. Especially no one in New York City cared about The Mets. Their losing streak and amazing record to consistently let their fans down left nothing to talk about. Instead, Colby decided to get some information out of Sam. It would help the cops and give Colby some peace-of-mind that he was able to do something. “The uh doctors didn’t say anything about family. Do you know where your family is?” 

Sam chewed on his bottom lip reopening the split lip. He suckled on the blood, absentmindedly licking at the wound in hopes to close it up. “I don’t have a family.” 

“That’s okay,” Colby assured him, “Not everyone has a family. Do you at least know who your parents are?” He tried again. Sam shook his head looking around the room. 

“I know about Papa,” Sam said. 

“That’s great! Do you know Papa’s name?” 

Sam shook his head. The tears welling up in his eyes. “I don’t like Papa. He doesn’t like me either. He hits me a lot because he doesn’t like me but I’m not allowed to hit him back.” That had Colby shrinking further into the chair. He wanted to become a puddle on the floor and slide into the nearest sewer grate and hide there forever. 

Colby didn’t know if Papa was Sam’s actual dad, his captor, or both. It made his stomach lurch knowing he just expressed excitement that Sam even knew who the guy was. Sam curled back up into a ball burrowing his head between his legs. The boy let out a tiny whimper as he silently cried. He couldn’t listen to Sam cry. It was heartbreaking. Colby sat down on the edge of Sam’s bed. “Hey, hey, Sam?” Colby spoke softly and he touched the back of Sam’s hand. The boy jerked back nearly slamming his head against the wall. “Shit! Sorry, I didn’t mean to freak you out. I’m just trying to help.” Colby insisted. 

Sam hastily grabbed Colby’s hand pulling it between the crux of his legs. The boy rested his head on Colby’s hand. He could feel the tears drop onto his hand like rain. Colby twisted his hand so his palm was facing upward, cupping Sam’s cheek. He was careful not to press on any of the bruises that were around his jawline. Gently, Colby stroke tiny circles into the red cheek. Sam soaked it up, pressing further into his hand. His eyes were shut, but Sam had stopped crying. 

“Sam,” Colby spoke up again, his voice weak. Sam didn’t respond but Colby knew he was listening to him. “I promise you. No one will ever hurt you again as long as I’m here. He won’t ever hurt you.” 

Sam made a noise cross between a hum and a whimper, but he looked content. Sam’s brows weren’t furrowed together and the scowl on his face was peaceful. Colby tossed that bag out the window. 


	4. Chapter 4

Sam had to be monitored by the hospital for two whole days, and Colby didn’t leave his side. As much as he wanted to go home and get a change of clothes, Colby didn’t want to risk leaving Sam alone. He would have felt even worse if Sam had an anxiety attack or they needed Colby for something and he wasn’t there. The days were spent lounging in the most uncomfortable chair as the two stared at each other. The lack of small talk, and the constant gymnastics to not talk about the elephant in the room was horrible. 

The only solace Colby was able to find was that he would look down and a black heart was on his wrist. Sam’s heart was on his sleeve, and the wait was over. Colby didn’t know what life would be like once Sam was out of the hospital. The boy was physically shaken up by everything he endured. Their life wouldn’t be easier. 

Sam was discharged and they rode an Uber back to Colby’s apartment. Sam was pressed against the door, and wouldn’t even touch Colby. As they rode the elevator up to his floor, Colby tried to think of what to do. The cops had told them that they would be assigning a detective to the case. Apparently, there was signs that it might have been some sort of human trafficking case. Colby had pressed them for details but they had nothing. The only thing anyone knew was Sam was a victim of this possible trafficking operation, and he was one of the lucky ones. 

“This is the place. I don’t have a guest bedroom but you can take my room. It’s better than sleeping on the couch.” Colby explained. Colby tossed his keys onto the table and grabbed a bottle of water for himself. 

Sam didn’t say anything as he cautiously walked throughout the small apartment. Colby was lucky that his job made it possible for him to have an actual apartment and not one of those shitty studios. Colby watched him explore the place, barely touching anything. If Sam could have levitated off the ground so he wouldn’t touch the carpet, he would have. 

“Can I get you anything?” Colby called out, once Sam disappeared into Colby’s bedroom. “Are you hungry?” 

Sam tiptoed back out into the living room. “I’m a little hungry, but I’ll be okay.” 

“You have to eat,” Colby insisted pulling out various takeout menus he accumulated over the years. It was mostly Chinese food and Pizzerias. Anything that was expensive was strictly for going out to eat. “Uhm do you know what you want to eat?” He asked fanning the menus out on the counter for Sam. Slowly he walked over looking at all the different types of food. 

“I didn’t know people had so many options. What do you like to eat?” Sam redirected. Frankly, Colby ate anything that was remotely good. He was a fan of the 99 cent pizzas that were open all night. The greasy food seemed to taste a million times better after a long night of drinks. The pound of grease and slimy cheese slipping off the pie was unappealing, and he didn’t want to give Sam shitty pizza. 

“I don’t care, what about Chinese food? They have everything and the food is really fucking good.” He mused. Sam flinched at the curse word. It was another thing to add on the list of what not to do. Colby’s phone went off jarring Sam as he jerked around to find the noise. “It’s my phone, relax. Here, go through the menu and I’ll be right back.” 

Jake was hitting him up for the third time in the past few days. No one had heard from Colby since Valentine’s Day. Everyone was starting to get worried that he was dead in a ditch somewhere. The more likely scenario was that he was trying to pull himself from a drinking binge. “Holy crap! I was about to call the police to check on you. Where have you been?” 

“It’s a long story,” Colby had leant across the back of his couch watching Sam read the menu. The boy gave up pushing the piece of paper off to the side. The broken boy barely moved as he sat in one of Colby’s chairs. He rested his head against the tiny table. Colby didn’t realize that Jake had been on a long rant about something until he was trying to draw his attention back to the conversation. 

“Bro, you okay? Do you need me to swing by?” Jake said. Colby could hear a movie playing in the background. No doubt that he was cuddled up in his bed with Tara. The two of them hidden from the world enjoying each other’s company. 

“No, listen I gotta go but I’ll explain everything later.” Colby hung up the phone before Jake could protest any further. “Did you find what you wanted to eat?” Colby asked Sam. He dejectedly shook his head, refusing to lift his head from the table. This was going to be harder than he thought. At least at the hospital there was round the clock care. The only thing Colby had to do was be somewhat of a support system. Now he had to be a caretaker, and he didn’t know the first thing about that.

“Okay that’s fine. How about I’ll order, and you can just eat what you like?” Colby scanned over the menu for common items. If the majority of the population liked a certain item on the menu there was a good chance Sam would too. By the time Colby placed the order Sam was sitting up right staring at his wall. 

Sam was completely spaced out. It wasn’t like a robot sort of spaced out. Where the bot just powered down and nothing moved. Sam's eyes were flickering back and forth, and Colby could see his lips moving but nothing was coming out. Colby cleared his throat, but there was no response. “Hey Sam?” He spoke up. It took Sam a second but he actually looked at Colby. His eyes went wide before shifting to look at Colby’s shoes. “Where’d you go?” 

“Nowhere, I was just counting.” 

“Counting what?”

“Uh the uh… number of white brick things on the wall.” Colby had to look at his wall again. There were a ton of them along the wall. It just went with the whole hipster modern look that the luxury apartment was trying to achieve. 

“Why?” Colby took a seat across from him. There were a ton of bricks. The whole wall was littered with them. It wasn’t an impossible feat to count each brick, but Colby couldn’t understand why anyone wanted to. That was something a person who had OCD did. 

“It helps to pass the time.” 

“Right,” Colby rubbed the back of his neck, “Makes sense. Do you want to watch TV to pass the time, or something besides counting the bricks?” Colby hoped he wouldn’t say watch paint dry. Instead Sam helplessly shrugged his shoulders looking around the apartment. It was a whole new world for Sam and Colby had to figure out to put it together for him. “Alright let’s put on some T.V. I bet we can find something you might want to watch.” Colby beckoned him to follow him to the living room. 

Colby hovered over Sam making sure that he wouldn’t stumble with the boot on his leg. Once he sunk into the small couch, Colby was satisfied with turning on the television. He didn’t have cable because Colby never watched TV. The only shows or movies he caught were on Netflix or Hulu. At first Colby started to browse whatever he thought was interesting. Mostly, superhero shows or horror based. He told Sam to let him know which show or movie looked like fun to watch. However, when Sam wouldn’t say anything. Colby resorted to watching Sam watch the ads on Netflix. 

Sam would instinctively flinch at every loud noise. His face recoiled in fear whenever there was anything that showed blood or anything dark. The comedy shows tried to highlight their best moments, and Sam wouldn’t laugh. Half of the jokes weren’t funny, but that’s because Colby’s idea of a good laugh didn’t involve try-hard jokes. Anything that tried to make a joke always landed flat for him. After the third stand up comedy act he endured Colby swore off them. 

In a last ditch effort, Colby put on the kids section. He quickly scrolled past any shows that were catered to toddlers or the younger audience. “How about the Road to El Dorado?” Colby asked with a forced smile. He was trying his hardest to make Sam happy, but he felt like all he was doing was annoying him. Colby couldn’t think of anything bad happening in the movie, and it was filled with adult innuendos that someone Sam’s age would have enjoyed. He put it on before he second guessed himself. 

As the movie began to play, Colby ended up watching Sam more than the movie. This was his soulmate. He couldn’t help but wonder what Sam would have been into if he wasn’t held captive. The idea left an awful feeling in his stomach because the trauma was still so fresh. It wouldn’t be until the physical harm was gone that they could potentially move forward. That was just to give them enough time so Sam could potentially open up. Still, he wondered if Sam would have been into action movies, or would he have been the romance type. 

“I’m sorry,” Sam spoke up. At first Colby wasn’t sure if he had heard him properly. 

“About what?” 

Sam tried to shift his body towards Colby, but the brace made it nearly impossible. “That I don’t know anything that you know.” 

“That’s alright,” Colby nearly jumped over his words to make Sam feel okay with himself. “You’ll learn as you go along. If it makes you feel any better. I don’t know everything, and neither does most people.” 

“I’m sorry, but it doesn’t.” Sam's voice was filled with sorrow as he watched the movie. There was another long period of silence stretched between them. 

The Chinese food came and Colby made an array on his coffee table for Sam to pick and choose. They were small portions, just enough for Sam to try. 

“Okay so the first one is Chicken and Broccoli,” Colby pointed at the chicken on one corner of the plate. Sam grabbed some of the food taking a bite out of it. Sam was chewing it thoughtfully, but whatever he had tasted had his nose scrunched up. “It’s the broccoli, right? Not a fan of veggies either.” Colby scraped the rest of the chicken and broccoli onto his own plate. 

“The next is Sesame Chicken.” 

“I won’t like it. It’s the same thing.” Sam said, staring at the chicken on the other corner of his plate. It was like trying to get a child to try different foods. It was going to be impossible if Sam thought everything was the same exact dish. 

“It’s not. It’s really good, if you try it.” Colby said. 

“But it’s chicken, and I didn’t like the chicken.” 

“Not every chicken meal tastes the same. Just try it.” 

Sam wanted to shake his head but he thought better of it. He took a bite of the chicken and he didn’t recoil in disgust. No one could describe how relieved Colby was that Sam actually liked the chicken. When he had placed the order, Colby didn’t realize he ordered mostly chicken dishes. He tried picking things that people would like and a lot of people like chicken, Colby included. The next piece was a pork dumpling. 

“Okay before you eat that,” Colby said right before Sam put the dumpling into his mouth. “Dunk it in this,” He held up one of the sauces that came with the dumpling. “It’ll taste a million times better with it.” 

Thankfully, the dumpling was a success. On it’s own Sam wasn’t a fan but the sauce made it better. The final piece on his plate was the lo mein. That was always a hit or miss for the restaurant. Sometimes their lo mein was delicious and Colby would eat the whole box. The other time he had to drown it in duck sauce, and he wasn’t the biggest fan of the sauce. Duck sauce always had a weird aftertaste that made him regret using it, until he went to take the next bite. 

Sure enough the lo mein was a miss. The restaurant had fucked it up, once again. Colby was going to have to pass it off to Jake or drown it in duck sauce. Sam was eager to get more on his plate. Colby happily obliged piling the plate up with a bigger portion but not an extreme amount. He had to be careful because too much food could make Sam sick, or so the doctors had told him. 

“Sorry I don’t like all the food,” Sam said with a forkful of chicken in his mouth. 

“It’s cool. I can eat it,” Colby made his own plate clicking the movie back on for the both of them. The second time around Sam was enjoying the movie more. Colby wasn’t sure if Sam understood what was happening, but he could only hope. He had to remind himself that Sam was locked up, but not stupid. There were going to be things that Sam wouldn’t get, but it wasn’t because he was incapable. 

After all, there were things like context clues to help. If Sam didn’t say anything Colby wouldn’t pry and constantly hold his hand. He had to try to make Sam feel like he was an adult. It would be how he wanted to be treated if he was in the same situation. When Sam finally laughed at one of the jokes was when Colby could actually enjoy the movie too. He wasn’t worried about Sam because Sam wasn’t worried about Sam. He was just immersed in the movie. 

Colby looked down at the little black heart on his wrist. It wasn’t odd to have a black heart. Everyone had various colors and they always meant something different. A lot of people speculated that the colors represented an emotion that their soulmate felt at the moment. Another believed it was their favorite color, but their true favorite color. Not the ones that they flippantly chose depending on their mood. The really spiritual people believed it was the color of an aura. Colby was less inclined to believe that idea. 

Regardless of what it meant he kinda liked having a black heart. It was a bit edgy, and brought out that emo teenager that he used to be. The interesting thing was that it was perfectly shaped. It was the same for everyone. There was never a millimeter out of place. The only variation was the color, but it was so interesting to see up close. Even though so many people had it. There was an unspoken rule to not ask to see the hearts up close. It was just out of courtesy. Just like how it was not to ask to touch a person's hair. You just wouldn’t do it. It made Colby want to check out Sam’s and compare the two. However, they really didn’t talk about their soulmate bond since figuring out a few days ago.

“Do you think they will find me?” Sam asked as the movie ended. Colby was going to make his bed up for Sam to sleep. The question had Colby stop everything he was doing. He froze at the thought. 

“They’re not going to find you,” Colby said adamantly. He believed that no one would come looking for Sam. They left him in a park inside a housing project, in the middle of winter. If they wanted him they wouldn’t have left him alone. Still it was a question that was still on the cops mind, and Sam’s. 

Sam’s eyes glazed over staring at the carpet. His fragile hands began to shake like a leaf. Colby instantly reached over to grab his hands. Sam didn’t pull back, but Colby felt the flinch in his touch. The sudden knee-jerk reaction to someone touching him. “Hey, come back to me, Sam. They won’t hurt you ever again. I won’t let them.” 

“You don’t know that,” He whispered. 

“I do know that.” Colby shifted so he kneeled in front of Sam. “I’m pretty smart like that. I also know that you’re going to be okay.” 

Sam yanked his hands out of Colby’s and shifted to get up. He moved back behind the couch towards the tiny hall that led to the master bedroom. Sam's body moved awkwardly as he tried to adjust to the casts all over his body. He gave Colby one last look before running to the bathroom. Colby waited until the door shut before he finally fell back onto his ass. This wasn’t going to work. He didn’t know what to say. The scattered cartons of Chinese food sighed in discontent. 

He didn’t know what he said that had Sam running away. Colby knew he wasn’t equipped to handle any of it, but he was trying. He stuffed everything into the now filled fridge. He had boxes of leftovers from all the other deliveries he ordered the other night. Colby made his way to his bedroom, flicking on the lights. His room had clothes strewn about and an unmade bed. Colby began to make the bed for Sam to sleep in. 

If he stayed extremely quiet he was pretty sure that he could hear Sam crying. It was stifled unlike the other night when he first heard him. Back when Sam didn’t know or care if anyone heard him, but now he was trying to hide his misery. Colby didn’t know what he was doing, but each cry that was slightly louder than the next had felt like a dagger being pierced through his heart. 

Colby’s phone rang, and he raced to pick it up. He needed a distraction from the mess that was happening. “Good evening, this is Detective O’Brien. I’m calling about Sam, are you free to talk?” 

“Yeah, I’m free. What’s going on?” Colby sat down on the edge of the bed. 

“Firstly, I’m the detective assigned to your case. I assume you’ve been made aware of what might have happened with Sam. We need you two to come down to precinct and have him answer a few questions about what happened to him. Like my officers mentioned it looks like he was involved in a human trafficking ring we’ve been investigating for awhile now. It’s extremely important you come in as soon as possible.” The detective rattled off. 

“I don’t think Sam can handle this right now.” Colby fell back onto the bed. 

“I get that, son, I really do. We’re able to handle highly sensitive subjects. If we don’t catch this while the pan is hot we may lose them. If it’s not the ring we are thinking of, it's still important we catch those sons of a bitches.” Colby understood why Sam would flinch at the curse words. It was painful to hear when it was so harshly used. 

“I’ll ask him about it and I’ll get back to you on a time.” Colby could hear the bathroom door creak open. Sam’s puffy eyed, red nosed face appeared through the doorway. Colby was quick to get the detective off the phone, rolling off the bed for Sam. 

“Who was that?” Sam asked. He hobbled over to stand in front of the bed. Sam rubbed at his nose and put on the best nonchalant expression he could muster. As if they both didn’t know that Sam was in the bathroom sobbing over something Colby said. 

“I uh.. It was the detective assigned to your case. They want you to come in to answer some questions and shit like that.” Colby caught himself cursing again, but Sam didn’t seemed to notice. “I told them whenever you’re ready.” He quickly explained. Colby ushered Sam to get on the bed. Sam sat on the edge of the bed.

With his leg out, Colby began loosening the straps so Sam could sleep a bit easier. “If I talk they will find me.” 

Colby gathered some things for Sam to wear to bed. It was one of his oversize t-shirt and pj pants. “The detective would protect you, ya know? It’s in their job description. We don’t have to talk about it right now.” 

Sam dejectedly picked at his nails as he hoisted himself further into Colby’s bed. He slipped himself under the covers. Colby gathered some extra blankets he had laying around and a spare pillow from the bed. He was ready to turn off the lights and let Sam relax. Sam had the remote to the TV in his room, and anything he could ever possibly need. Plus Colby would be less than a few feet away from him. “Hey Colby, you forgot something.” 

Colby looked back at Sam who was holding one of his boxers that he forgot to grab from the bed. He nearly tripped over himself to grab the boxers. He must have forgotten it was there. He had a horrible habit of kicking off his clothes and leaving them in his bed to pool in random places. It would only be when he actually shook out his blankets that he would find random socks and articles of clothing. “Sorry, night.” Colby’s face was bright red as he turned the lights off for Sam. 


End file.
